Integrated thermal management modules for vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated thermal management module for a vehicle. The module may include: a chiller, a first liquid reservoir, a second liquid reservoir, a first pump, a first valve, a second pump, and a second valve, wherein cooling water for electrical components passes through the first liquid reservoir; cooling water for high-voltage batteries passes through the second liquid reservoir; the first pump circulates cooling water for electrical components through electrical parts; the first valve controls cooling water that has passed through the chiller or cooling water in the first liquid reservoir to selectively circulate through electrical parts using the first pump; the second pump circulates cooling water for high-voltage batteries through high-voltage batteries; the second valve controls cooling water that has passed through the chiller or cooling water in the second liquid reservoir to selectively circulate through high-voltage batteries using the second pump.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrated thermal management module for a vehicle, which is mounted on the vehicle and can be made compact by integrating complex components related to cooling water and refrigerant into one component, and can improve cooling / heating efficiency by reducing resistance of cooling water or refrigerant. Background Art

[0002] Since there is no engine, it is difficult to utilize waste heat in electric vehicles or fuel cell vehicles. Therefore, in these vehicles, it is inevitable to use an electric compressor for cooling and a heat pump principle or a separate electric heater for heating.

[0003] Furthermore, maximum cooling / heating efficiency in these vehicles needs to be ensured to ensure the mileage of electric energy, and these technologies are directly related to the commercial value of the vehicle.

[0004] Therefore, the cooling / heating circuit in the electric vehicle is somewhat complicated, and some valves, pumps, and other components are installed. Therefore, a technology that can easily install these components and reduce weight and cost by effectively arranging and integrating the components into an assembly is required.

[0005] The information contained in this Background of the Invention section is only intended to enhance understanding of the overall background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this information constitutes the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0006] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing an integrated thermal management module for a vehicle, which is mounted on the vehicle and can be made compact by integrating complex components related to cooling water and refrigerant into one component, and can improve cooling / heating efficiency by reducing resistance of cooling water or refrigerant.

[0007] Based on one aspect, an integrated thermal management module of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a chiller, a first liquid reservoir, a second liquid reservoir, a first pump, a first valve, a second pump and a second valve, wherein the refrigerant and cooling water pass through the chiller for heat exchange; the electrical component cooling water passes through the first liquid reservoir, and the high-voltage battery cooling water passes through the second liquid reservoir; the first pump circulates the electrical component cooling water through the electrical part; the first valve controls the cooling water that has passed through the chiller or the cooling water of the first liquid reservoir to selectively circulate through the electrical part using the first pump; the second pump circulates the high-voltage battery cooling water through the high-voltage battery; the second valve controls the cooling water that has passed through the chiller or the cooling water of the second liquid reservoir to selectively circulate through the high-voltage battery using the second pump.

[0008] The chiller, the first liquid storage part, and the second liquid storage part may be configured as one component by being directly or indirectly connected to each other.

[0009] The first liquid storage part, the first pump, and the first valve may be configured as one component by being directly or indirectly connected to each other.

[0010] The second liquid storage part, the second pump, and the second valve may be configured as one component by being directly or indirectly connected to each other.

[0011] The first liquid storage part and the second liquid storage part may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and may form one liquid storage tank by connecting upper portions of the internal spaces to each other.

[0012] The first liquid storage part and the second liquid storage part may be installed adjacent to each other, and the chiller may be installed adjacent to sides of the first liquid storage part and the second liquid storage part.

[0013] The first valve may be a three-way valve connected to the lower portion of the first reservoir, the lower portion of the chiller, and the inlet of the first pump, and may control electrical component cooling water of the first reservoir or cooling water of the chiller to be supplied to the first pump.

[0014] The second valve may be a three-way valve connected to the lower portion of the second reservoir, the lower portion of the chiller, and the inlet of the second pump, and may control high-voltage battery cooling water of the second reservoir or cooling water of the chiller to be supplied to the second pump.

[0015] The chiller, the first liquid reservoir, the second liquid reservoir, the first valve, the second valve, the first pump and the second pump can be configured as an assembly by directly or indirectly connecting to each other, and the assembly can be mounted on the vehicle body by fastening the first liquid reservoir or the second liquid reservoir to the vehicle body via a shock absorber.

[0016] The first pump and the second pump may be installed such that their rotation axes intersect each other.

[0017] The first liquid storage part and the second liquid storage part can be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and can form a liquid storage tank by connecting the upper parts of the internal spaces to each other, the chiller can be installed adjacent to the side of the liquid storage tank, the first valve and the first pump can be installed below the first liquid storage part, and the second valve and the second pump can be installed below the second liquid storage part.

[0018] The inlet of the first liquid storage part may be connected to the electric part radiator, the outlet of the first liquid storage part may be connected to the first valve, and the outlet of the first pump may be connected to the electric part.

[0019] The inlet of the second liquid reservoir may be connected to the high-voltage battery radiator, the outlet of the second liquid reservoir may be connected to the second valve, and the outlet of the second pump may be connected to the high-voltage battery.

[0020] The chiller may have a first inlet for flow of cooling water, a second inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet, the first inlet may be connected to the electrical part, and the first outlet may be connected to the first valve.

[0021] A second inlet of the chiller may be connected to the high voltage battery, and a second outlet of the chiller may be connected to the second valve.

[0022] According to the integrated thermal management module of a vehicle of the present invention, the integrated thermal management module is installed on the vehicle, which can make it compact by integrating complex components related to cooling water and refrigerant into one component, and can improve cooling / heating efficiency by reducing the resistance of cooling water or refrigerant.

[0023] Other features and advantages of the methods and apparatus of the present invention will be apparent from, or will be described in detail in, the accompanying drawings and subsequent detailed descriptions incorporated herein, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an integrated thermal management module of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cooling / heating circuit of a vehicle to which an integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied; and

[0026] Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an integrated thermal management module of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0027] It is to be understood that the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale, but present appropriately simplified representations of various features illustrating the basic principles of the present invention. The specific design features of the present invention included herein (including, for example, specific dimensions, directions, locations and shapes) will be determined in part by the specific environment to be applied and used.

[0028] In the attached drawings, like or equivalent parts of the present invention are labeled with the same reference numerals throughout the several figures of the drawing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings and are described below. Although the present invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that this specification is not intended to limit the present invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the present invention is intended to cover not only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments that may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0030] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cooling / heating circuit of a vehicle to which an integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied, Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an integrated thermal management module of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an integrated thermal management module of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The integrated thermal management module of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a chiller 200, a first liquid reservoir 110, a second liquid reservoir 120, a first pump 410, a first valve 310, a second pump 420, and a second valve 320, through which refrigerant and cooling water pass for heat exchange; electrical component cooling water passes through the first liquid reservoir 110; high-voltage battery cooling water passes through the second liquid reservoir 120; the first pump 410 circulates the electrical component cooling water through the electrical part 10; the first valve 310 controls the cooling water that has passed through the chiller 200 or the cooling water of the first liquid reservoir 110 to selectively circulate through the electrical part 10 through the first pump 410; the second pump 420 circulates the high-voltage battery cooling water through the high-voltage battery 20; the second valve 320 controls the cooling water that has passed through the chiller 200 or the cooling water of the second liquid reservoir 120 to selectively circulate through the high-voltage battery 20 through the second pump 420.

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cooling / heating circuit of a vehicle to which an integrated thermal management module of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied. First, referring to Figure 2 The circuit shown is used to describe an example of an integrated thermal management module for a vehicle to which the present invention is applied.

[0033] The vehicle to which the module of the present invention is applied may be various vehicles including internal combustion engine vehicles, but the effect is likely to be greatest in a vehicle driven by electric components such as an electric vehicle.

[0034] The vehicle is equipped with various heat generating devices, including the electrical part 10 of the motor and inverter, the high voltage battery 20, and the air conditioning system of the vehicle. These devices need to be managed in different temperature ranges and have different start-up time points, so in order to implement them independently, it is necessary to Figure 2 The complex circuit shown.

[0035] from Figure 2 It can be seen that the electric part 10 can be cooled by the electric part radiator 12 using cooling water or by the chiller 200. The high voltage battery 20 can also be cooled by the high voltage battery radiator 22 using cooling water or by the chiller 200.

[0036] The chiller 200 is a part where the refrigerant line and the cooling water line meet each other and exchange heat with each other. The refrigerant circulates through the compressor 30, the water-cooled condenser 33, the air-cooled condenser 32, and the evaporator 31 or the chiller 200 of the air conditioning system in sequence. When the refrigerant circulates to the chiller 200, the electric part 10 or the high-voltage battery 20 is cooled by the cooling water cooled by the chiller 200, and when the refrigerant circulates to the evaporator 31, internal cooling is performed.

[0037] At the time of interior heating, heating is performed by sending cooling water heated via the water-cooled condenser 33 to the heater core 23 or by circulating cooling water heated via the water-heated heater 24 to the heater core 23 .

[0038] If necessary, heating may be performed by recovering waste heat of the electric part 10 to the chiller 200 and transferring the waste heat to the heater core 23 of the air conditioning system through the water-cooled condenser 33 .

[0039] As described above, in a circuit to which the integrated module of the present invention is applied, various modes can be realized independently or as a whole.

[0040] Figure 2 The circuit shown is very complex and has many lines, so it is bulky and takes up a lot of space in the vehicle, which is very disadvantageous in design. Therefore, it is necessary to make the circuit more efficient and compact, and for this purpose, a circuit is provided. Figure 1 The integrated module shown.

[0041] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing an integrated thermal management module of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The integrated thermal management module of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a chiller 200, a first liquid reservoir 110, a second liquid reservoir 120, a first pump 410, a first valve 310, a second pump 420 and a second valve 320, the refrigerant and cooling water pass through the chiller 200 for heat exchange; the electrical component cooling water passes through the first liquid reservoir 110; the high voltage battery cooling water passes through the second liquid reservoir 120; the first pump 410 circulates the electrical component cooling water through the electrical part 10; the first valve 310, the second pump 420 and the second valve 320. 0 is connected to the first pump 410 through the channel 314 and controls the cooling water that has passed through the chiller 200 or the cooling water of the first liquid reservoir 110 through the first pump 410 to selectively circulate through the electrical part 10; the second pump 420 is connected to the second valve 320 through the channel 324 and circulates the high-voltage battery cooling water through the high-voltage battery 20; the second valve 320 controls the cooling water that has passed through the chiller 200 or the cooling water of the second liquid reservoir 120 through the second pump 420 to selectively circulate through the high-voltage battery 20.

[0042] The integrated module 1000 in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is integrated Figure 2 The inner space of the reservoir is formed by dividing the parts in the frame, among which the part with the largest volume and size is the reservoir. In addition, since the management temperature of the electrical part 10 and the high-voltage battery 20 is different, the inner space of the reservoir includes two independent spaces. In addition, cooling water is supplemented through an inlet 132, and if the cooling water is insufficient, they exchange some cooling water with each other to prevent performance problems.

[0043] To this end, various aspects of the present invention provide a first liquid reservoir 110 through which cooling water for electric components passes and a second liquid reservoir 120 through which cooling water for high-voltage batteries passes. In addition, the first liquid reservoir 110 and the second liquid reservoir 120 may be directly or indirectly connected to each other to form one assembly, the first liquid reservoir 110 and the second liquid reservoir 120 may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and the upper portions of their internal spaces may be connected to form one liquid reservoir 100.

[0044] In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figure, the first liquid storage part 110 and the second liquid storage part 120 have the following structure: they are formed as one liquid storage tank, form an independent space by being spaced from each other, share an inlet by connecting the upper part, and when the vehicle is tilted or accelerated to one side, some cooling water can be supplemented with each other. In addition, heat exchange can be prevented by the gap of the liquid storage part, and an insulator can be inserted, so that the temperature can be managed more completely and independently.

[0045] In addition, a chiller 200 is provided through which the refrigerant and the cooling water pass and perform heat exchange. The chiller 200, the first liquid storage part 110, and the second liquid storage part 120 may be configured as one component by being directly or indirectly connected to each other.

[0046] The refrigerant and the cooling water perform heat exchange through the chiller 200 , and the pipeline through which the refrigerant flows and the pipeline through which the cooling water flows are respectively installed in the chiller 200 .

[0047] The expansion valve 230 is mounted on the chiller 200, and the cold refrigerant flows into the chiller 200, exchanges heat with the cooling water, and then is discharged through the outlet. The chiller 200 has a first inlet 212, a second inlet 222', a first outlet 313, and a second outlet 323 for the flow of cooling water. The first inlet 212 can be connected to the electrical part 10, and the first outlet 313 can be connected to the first valve 310. In addition, the second inlet 222' of the chiller 200 can be connected to the high-voltage battery 20, and the second outlet 323 can be connected to the second valve 320. Therefore, the chiller 200 can be used to cool the electrical part 10 or the high-voltage battery 20.

[0048] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the expansion valve 230 includes an inlet portion 232 formed of an inlet 232 and an outlet 232 ′.

[0049] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, chiller 200 includes an inlet 234 ′ and an outlet 234 .

[0050] In addition, by controlling the 'T'-shaped diversion point, the auxiliary inlet 212', the auxiliary outlet 222, the valve 310, and the valve 320, the cooling water can be circulated only through the electric part radiator 12 or the high-voltage battery radiator 22 without passing through the chiller 200. That is, it is also possible to remove the heat of the electric part 10 or the high-voltage battery 20 by using the radiator 12 and the radiator 22 instead of the chiller 200. This slightly mild cooling condition is a case where electric energy can be saved because the compressor 30 does not work. In this case, by controlling the first valve 310 or the second valve 320, the cooling water is not circulated to the chiller 200, but to the radiator 12 and the radiator 22.

[0051] Specifically, the first valve 310 is a three-way valve and is connected to the lower portion of the first liquid reservoir 110, the lower portion of the chiller 200, and the inlet of the first pump 410, and controls the electrical component cooling water of the first liquid reservoir 110 or the cooling water of the chiller 200 to be supplied to the first pump 410. That is, the electrical part 10 can be cooled using the electrical part radiator 12 or the chiller 200 by controlling the first valve 310.

[0052] In addition, the second valve 320 is a three-way valve and is connected to the lower portion of the second liquid reservoir 120, the lower portion of the chiller 200, and the inlet of the second pump 420, and controls the high-voltage battery cooling water of the second liquid reservoir 120 or the cooling water of the chiller 200 to be supplied to the second pump 420. Therefore, similarly, the high-voltage battery 20 can also be cooled using the high-voltage battery radiator 22 or the chiller 200 by controlling the second valve 320.

[0053] To this end, the inlet 112 of the first liquid reservoir 110 may be connected to the electric part radiator 12, the outlet 312 may be connected to the first valve 310, and the outlet 412 of the first pump 410 may be connected to the electric part 10. In addition, the inlet 122 of the second liquid reservoir 120 may be connected to the high-voltage battery radiator 22, the outlet 322 may be connected to the second valve 320, and the outlet 422 of the second pump 420 may be connected to the high-voltage battery 20.

[0054] The first liquid storage part 110, the first pump 410 and the first valve 310 can be directly or indirectly connected as a component. In addition, the second liquid storage part 120, the second pump 420 and the second valve 320 can be directly or indirectly connected as a component. As described above, the components can be configured as independent modules and then assembled.

[0055] The first liquid storage part 110 and the second liquid storage part 120 may be installed adjacent to each other, and the chiller 200 may be installed adjacent to sides of the first liquid storage part 110 and the second liquid storage part 120 .

[0056] Therefore, according to the integrated module 1000 of the present invention, the first liquid storage part 110 and the second liquid storage part 120 can be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and form a liquid storage tank 100 by connecting the upper parts of the internal spaces to each other, the chiller 200 can be installed adjacent to the side of the liquid storage tank 100, the first valve 310 and the first pump 410 can be installed below the first liquid storage part 110, and the second valve 320 and the second pump 420 can be installed below the second liquid storage part 120.

[0057] The chiller 200, the first liquid reservoir 110, the second liquid reservoir 120, the first valve 310, the second valve 320, the first pump 410 and the second pump 420 can be configured as a component by being directly or indirectly connected to each other, and the component can be mounted on the vehicle body B by fastening the first liquid reservoir 110 or the second liquid reservoir 120 to the vehicle body B via the shock absorber D.

[0058] The reservoir is the component with the largest mass and can offset the vibration of the pump. Therefore, the reservoir is mounted on the vehicle body B through the shock absorber D, mainly for vibration reduction.

[0059] Figure 3 and Figure 4An integrated thermal management module according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention is shown, in which the first pump 410 and the second pump 420 may be installed such that their rotation axes cross each other.

[0060] That is, since the first pump 410 and the second pump 420 may be installed such that their rotation axes intersect each other, vibration directions of the pumps may be made different, and thus an increase in vibration of the pumps may be prevented. Figure 5 and Figure 6 An integrated thermal management module according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention is shown, in which the first valve and the second valve 320 are installed to cross each other, so that the integrated thermal management module of the present invention can be easily installed in the layout of the vehicle.

[0061] According to the integrated thermal management module of a vehicle of the present invention, the integrated thermal management module is installed on the vehicle, which can make it compact by integrating complex components related to cooling water and refrigerant into one component, and can improve the cooling / heating efficiency by reducing the resistance of cooling water or refrigerant.

[0062] For ease of interpretation and precise definition in the appended claims, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "upward", "downward", "upwardly", "downwardly", "front", "rear", "backside", "inner side", "outer side", "inwardly", "outwardly", "inner", "outer", "inner", "external", "forward", and "rearward" are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures with reference to their positions. It will be further understood that the term "connected" or its derivatives refer to both direct and indirect connections.

[0063] The description presented above of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention is for the purpose of illustration and description. The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed, and it is apparent that many modifications and variations can be made in accordance with the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments are selected and described in order to explain certain principles of the present invention and their practical applications, so that other persons skilled in the art can realize and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention and various selected forms and modified forms thereof. The scope of the present invention is intended to be limited by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An integrated thermal management module for a vehicle, the module comprising: a chiller through which the refrigerant and cooling water pass to exchange heat; a first liquid storage portion through which cooling water for electrical components passes; a second liquid storage portion through which battery cooling water passes; a first pump that circulates electrical component cooling water through the electrical portion; a first valve that controls cooling water that has passed through the chiller or cooling water in the first reservoir to selectively circulate through the electrical portion using the first pump; a second pump that circulates battery cooling water through the battery; as well as a second valve that controls the cooling water that has passed through the chiller or the cooling water of the second reservoir to selectively circulate through the battery using the second pump; Wherein, the first valve is a three-way valve and is connected to the lower part of the first liquid storage part, the lower part of the chiller and the inlet of the first pump; The second valve is a three-way valve and is connected to a lower portion of the second liquid reservoir, a lower portion of the chiller, and an inlet of the second pump.

2. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The chiller, the first liquid storage part and the second liquid storage part are connected to each other directly or indirectly to form a component.

3. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The first liquid storage part, the first pump, and the first valve are connected to each other directly or indirectly to form a component.

4. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The second liquid storage part, the second pump and the second valve are connected to each other directly or indirectly to form one assembly.

5. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The first liquid storage part and the second liquid storage part are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and form one liquid storage tank by connecting upper portions of internal spaces to each other.

6. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The first and second liquid storage parts are installed adjacent to each other, and the chiller is installed adjacent to sides of the first and second liquid storage parts.

7. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The first valve controls the electric component cooling water of the first liquid reservoir or the cooling water of the chiller to be supplied to the first pump.

8. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The second valve controls the battery cooling water of the second liquid reservoir or the cooling water of the chiller to be supplied to the second pump.

9. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The chiller, the first reservoir, the second reservoir, the first valve, the second valve, the first pump and the second pump are formed into an assembly by being directly or indirectly connected to each other, and the assembly is mounted on the vehicle body by fastening the first reservoir or the second reservoir to the vehicle body via a shock absorber.

10. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The first pump and the second pump are installed so that a rotation axis of the first pump and a rotation axis of the second pump intersect each other.

11. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The first liquid storage part and the second liquid storage part are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and form a liquid storage tank by connecting the upper parts of the internal spaces to each other, the chiller is installed adjacent to the side of the liquid storage tank, the first valve and the first pump are installed below the first liquid storage part, and the second valve and the second pump are installed below the second liquid storage part.

12. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The inlet of the first liquid storage part is connected to the electric part radiator, the outlet of the first liquid storage part is connected to the first valve, and the outlet of the first pump is connected to the electric part.

13. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The inlet of the second liquid storage part is connected to the battery radiator, the outlet of the second liquid storage part is connected to the second valve, and the outlet of the second pump is connected to the battery.

14. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The chiller has a first inlet for flow of cooling water, a second inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet, the first inlet being connected to an electrical part, and the first outlet being connected to a first valve.

15. The integrated thermal management module for a vehicle according to claim 14, wherein: A second inlet of the chiller is connected to the battery, and a second outlet of the chiller is connected to a second valve.

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